Portland, Multnomah County prepare for first homeless count since worst of recession hit

Benjamin Brink, The OregonianChris Dickey, left, co-chair of the homeless action group at First Unitarian Church and Paul Schroeder, with JOIN, are confronted by Anthony Melton, 30, a homeless man who has been in Portland for three years, during a November walk for awareness

Though the agency saw an 11 percent increase in the number of homeless people in Multnomah County in its 2009 count, the number to come out of the 2011 count is likely to be even higher. The 2009 count found more than 1,600 people living on the streets or in their cars.

"We do this count every two years and it's really a snapshot of who is sleeping on the streets, and it's also a good way for agencies and other nonprofits to see what the needs are in the community," said Maileen Hamto, public information officer for the housing bureau.

"I've heard since the recession started that there are more families that have become homeless," she said. "Of course, we have the folks who are chronically homeless for a variety of reasons, but there are new homeless folks who weren't able to pay their rent and are now on the streets or living in their cars."

The Homeless Street Count, which counts folks sleeping in cars, in camps or in abandoned buildings, will be conducted on the same night as the One Night Shelter Count, which gathers numbers from emergency shelters, motels and transitional housing. It includes people receiving rent assistance who would be homeless without the aid.

The counts will cover Portland and Multnomah County and are required by communities that receive federal funding for homeless services.

People who know of a homeless camp in their neighborhood are encouraged to report it to the bureau. Agencies who deal with homeless folks are also encouraged to participate in the count.